FROM

Patrick BattuelloOriginally posted by Patrick Battuello in the
Animal Rights blog
April 2014

Bet on consenting NFL athletes; abuse decidedly inanimate cards and
wheels. Leave the dogs and horses out of it.

A bit of good news (perhaps)…

Under current Florida law, in order to get licenses for increasingly
popular VLTs (slots) and table games, dog-track owners are required to offer
a set amount of live racing, even if said racing is a losing proposition.
Basically, people come for the poker but the dog racers continue to benefit.

Senate president Don Gaetz (Tampa Bay Times): “The taxpayers of Florida
are functionally subsidizing races that almost nobody is watching.”
(According to GREY2K USA, dogracing handle has declined for twenty
consecutive years.) But now, momentum is gaining in the Legislature (and
beyond) to allow the market to be what it will be, to force the racers to
sink or swim on their product alone. And the smart money is at the bottom of
the pool.

To date, 39 states have outlawed dogracing; of the 21 tracks still
operational, 12 are in Florida. So, if this movement to “decouple” racing
from other gaming – no more mandated number of races – succeeds, dogracing
in America will enter the hospice stage.

That dogracing is cruel is beyond reasonable discussion. But for those
who remain unaware of the facts, please see this site from
GREY2K USA. With
myriad gambling options available, excuses for exploiting the racing-animal
have run dry. Bet on consenting NFL athletes; abuse decidedly inanimate
cards and wheels. Leave the dogs and horses out of it.

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